Bac Ha Market Sapa Tour

Bac Ha Market in Sapa Tours

Lao Cai province are endowed with famous Sapa’s beautiful landscapes – the most impressive beauty-spot in the Northwest of Vietnam, also with off-beaten-track region of Bac Ha, a nice trekking area, pleasant climate and many tribal markets you can attend but the most notable & biggest one called Bac Ha market.If doing your trip to Sapa,you should arrange your trip on weekends and add an interesting visit to this tribal market on Sunday to experience a weekly meeting point of local ethnic groups where they meet and exchange goods in the highlands.

Bac Ha market information

Bac Ha market is located in Bac Ha town, near Chinese border,70 kms far from Lao Cai station (in 2 hour drive) and 100km far from Sapa town ( 3 hour drive).

The market of Bac Ha is considered as the biggest one in the highlands where many different ethnic groups such as Flower H'mong, Phu La, Black Dao, Tay and Nung minorities gather to buy and sell local products that are rarely found elsewhere. The market fair is also an opportunity for local ethnic groups in their tradditional dresses to come and meet, for relatives to reunite after a long time missing, for women to demonstrate their beautiful handmade, traditional costumes and even for youngsters to find their lovers. To reach the market, many ethnic vendors have to walk a long distance passing mountains and hills.Yet the distance has never discouraged them from joining the Sunday colorful market. This market is undoubtedly the most colorful of all the region and less frequented by tourists than the Sapa market.

The typical product sections in Bac Ha Market

Bac Ha market covers a bigger area than any other minority market in Vietnam and is divided into different zones, each of them specializes on selling different types of products.It is interesting to make a nice walking around watching exotic exhibition of local products, view local ethnic groups in their colourful tradditional dresses or buying local goods of the regions.Those are 7 typical sections you shoud spend time exploring in the market.

Selling rice in market

• The market area specializing in textile, fabrics and materials for making ethnic costumes
• Grocery market
• Area of horse selling
• Market of farm animals (chickens, hens, pigs, buffaloes, etc…)
• Restaurant area (open-section restaurants of different local dishes )
• Market of birds
• Crafts and forging market

Bac Ha Market Hours & the best moment to visit

Bac Ha market  takes place on weekly Sunday beginning its activity very early until 14:00.To see its finest charm, you should be here early as the local minority tribes bring their livestock, wares and rice wine to sell each week.The best moment to see the market in its full play is to arrive between 9h00 am and 11h00 am and leave before the crowds of tourists arrive on the buses.It means that if you stay in Sapa, to travel to Bac Ha market in 3 hour drive, you need to start at 6h00am from Sapa.Very popular option is spending your Saturday night in Bac Ha town or take an overnight train Hanoi-Lao Cai on Saturday night, arriving in Lao Cai at 6h00 am, then directly take a car transfer in 2 hours to reach the market.By doing so, not only will you avoid the tourists, but you will also see the market in full swing.

Buffalo market

How to get to Bac Ha market?

An easy way is to join in a Sapa Tour Package 2 days or 3 days on weekends by private car or by an overnight train to Lao Cai, then to attend this market on early Sunday morning, its surrounding villages in Bac Ha and to Sapa with intersting trekking routes to remote villages of ethnic tribes in Muong Hoa valley!

Basket selling area

Some of you may arrange Sapa-Bac Ha tours on their own, they book overnight train ticket Hanoi-Lao Cai,or rent a private car with driver Hanoi to Sapa & Bac Ha!

If taking a night train Hanoi-Lao Cai, your arrival time in Lao Cai is at 5h00 am-6h00 am depending on your train schedules, then you can take following proper options to Bac Ha market.

Local public buses- overcrowded & waiting time to pick up customers during the travel route.

Just in front of Lao Cai railway station,there is a public bus line that performs the way Lao Cai – Bac Ha which is the cheapest option to navigate to the Bac Ha market.Its bus schedules are: 06: 30, 07: 00, 12: 00, 13: 00 and 15: 00. The schedule of the bus from Bac Ha to Lao Cai is at 06: 00, 07: 00, 08: 00, 12: 10 and 13: 00. The price of the bus fare are 3 usd per way. Although the distance are just 70 kilometers, the bus takes 120 minutes to reach the market

Private car transfer to Bac Ha market, then back to Lao Cai or Sapa upon your request

It will be more relaxed, professional & flexible to use private car rental to Bac Ha & back.For this service, you need to pre-book with travel agents or car rental offices.Up to your group size, your travel program, so that the price is also different.On your train arrival time in Lao Cai, the driver with your signed name will pick you up at the railway exit, then drive along beautiful jouney up to Bac Ha town, then its market.You are flexible to stay in market or visit surrounding villages for interesting experiences, then the driver will pick you up back to Lao Cai or Sapa or Hanoi up to your trip request.

Insense selling section

If you are in need of those services of private car rental Hanoi-Sapa-Bac Ha-Hanoi, or Lao Cai-Bac Ha-Sapa-Lao Cai, overnight train ticket Hanoi-Lao Cai-Hanoi, feel free to drop us an email to [email protected], we will support with useful consultancy & good qoutation for your enjoyable journey to Bac Ha & Sapa. We wish you a beautiful trip of special experiences in Sapa & Bac Ha